By Elli Papakonstantinou, Ariah Lester, and ODC Ensemble.
Holland Festival 2023 | Photo: Alex Kat
This virtuoso multilingual play is one of the many productions for which I crafted the surtitles.
You need a Dutch translator in the cultural sector?
Why not capitalize on my well-developed skills and decades of experience? Let me tell you more about my approach, meet my clients and read how they value my translations.
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The cultural field?
My work within the cultural field draws from a strong foundation in:
- Classical music (Conservatory-trained),
- Italian Language and western literature (University of Utrecht, cum laude),
- Philosophy (minor),
- History and heritage (fueled by both personal passion and hands-on experience).
This wide-ranging knowledge not only enables me to create spot-on translations but also helps me address minor errors or ambiguities or recognize intertextual references in the source text, ensuring the final translation is clear, precise, and impactful!
Museum Sloten, highlighting the significance of its location on a major waterway in contributing to the city’s prosperity. In addition to conducting research and securing funding, I was responsible for providing and implementing subtitles for the multimedia displays.
Photo: Margriet Agricola
Why would you need a specialist
A specialist can address highly specific translation challenges, such as:
- Understanding subject specific terminology, e.g., knowing that a viola profonda isn’t a 'deep viola' but a distinct instrument for which no Dutch or English equivalent exists.
- Handling poor source texts, such as scripts lacking punctuation or adapting an outdated playtext with cuts and additions into surtitles.
- Recognizing intertextual or historical references, which comes with experience.
- Working with unfamiliar contexts, like translating Elfriede Jelinek’s works with their Austrian socio-political references.
- Choosing the right Bible translation as a starting point for translating biblical texts (see the Statenbijbel example to the right / below.
Statenbijbel
The Statenbijbel (1637) was the first official Dutch translation of the Bible, commissioned to create a Reformed translation that adhered closely to the original languages, similar to the King James Version (1611).
When translating spiritual music from that period, one might consider using the Statenbijbel, but it's crucial to assess the context. If the text originates from the Catholic tradition, a Protestant Bible would be unsuitable. Even for Protestant texts, it's important to select the appropriate edition, as the Statenbijbel has been revised many times, most recently in 2010.
Photo: Wikipedia Creative Commons
Bonus: an elegant layout
If you wish, I can format your source text and/or its Dutch translation. In Word, this will result in a well-organized document with a consistent, pleasant layout. Using InDesign, I can provide professional formatting and design enhancements.
If you prefer a plain text file, you will receive just that: an impeccable document, free of unnecessary formatting or copy-paste-residues that could cause problems in a later stage.
Invitation to a symposium at the University of Humanistics in Utrecht (Netherlands).
My clients
My clients primarily include festivals, music halls and theatre or music companies, but I also work with publishers, broadcasters, museums and educational institutions. Here's a selection.
